Progressivism and the Republican Roosevelt

1. Objective: Students will understand the historical impact the Progressive Era had on US History. Progressivism and the Republican Roosevelt Chapter 28

2. Progressive Roots • Greenback Labor Party of 1870’s, • Grange • Farmers Alliance • Populists

3. Muckrakers • Several magazines led the way in reform, investigational journalism, dug deeper because they were trying to out scoop the competition • Lincoln Steffens “The Shame of the Cities” • Showed the alliance between big business and local governments • Ida B. Tarbell published an expose on Standard Oil • David G. Phillips “The Treason of the Senate” charged that 75 of the 90 senators represented trusts not the people • Ray Stannard Baker Following the Color Line 1908 • Upton Sinclair The Jungle • Abuses about many other, social ills, adulterated medicine, food, political corruption, etc

4. The Bosses of the Senate

5. Political Progressivism • Reformers were mainly middle class citizens- pressure from above (giant corporations) and below (immigrant hordes and labor unions) • Progressives two main goals: • To use state power to curb the trusts • To stem the socialist threat by generally improving the common person’s conditions of life and labor • Progressives pushed for direct primary elections and the referendum (placed laws on the ballot for final approval from the people) • Put a limit on the amount of money that candidates could spend on elections and on the gifts that they could receive from corporations • Constitutional amendment to use popular election of the sentors-17th Amendment passed in 1913 • Progressives also supported the feminists

6. Progressivism in the Cities and States • Many cities appointed a city manager to control civic affairs • Attacked social problems-slumlords, juvenile delinquency, and prostitution • Progressivism also reached a state level • Robert M. “Fighting Bob” La Follette-militant progressive Republican leader-governor of Wisconsin, was able to return control to the people from corrupt corporations and perfected a scheme fro regulating public utilities

7. Progressive Women • Key to progressive movement • Saw the task of improving life in the factories as an extension of their roles as wives and women • Focused on moral and “maternal” issues • Women’s Trade Union League and National Consumers League

8. Progressive Women • Muller vs. Oregon 1908 • Louis D. Brandeis • Called for special protection of women at the workplace • Lochner vs. New York 1905 • Ruled against the 10 hour day for bakers • This was overruled again in 1917 • Triangle Shirtwaist Company 1911 Fire; 146 workers died. Large outcry from • Led to much needed and stronger laws regulating sweatshops • Women went after the saloons, prohibition movement which went hand in hand with anti prostitution movement • WTCU Women’s Temperance Christian Union • By 1914 nearly one half of the population lived in “dry” territory and nearly three-fourths of the total are had outlawed saloons • 1919-Eighteenth Amendment-Prohibition!

9. TR’s Square Deal for Labor • TR feared that the public interest was being submerged by indifference-so he decided that “everyone interests were his interests • The Square Deal-for capital, labor and the public • The 3 “Cs” • Control of the corporations • Consumer protection • Conservation of the natural resources • Coal miners strike in 1902 in Pennsylvania • Miners were mostly illiterate immigrants • Demanded 20% increase in pay and a reduction from 10 hour days to 9 hour days • As coal supplies decreased the nation was forced to close schools, factories and hospitals • Roosevelt restored to “the stick” by threatening to send in federal troops to operate the mines-they consented to arbitration and in the end everything was hunky-dory. • 10% rise in pay and 9 hour work days • Roosevelt created the Department of Commerce and Labor in 1903 • Very helpful in curbing the trusts

10. Caring for the Consumers • Europe banned American meat imports because it was tainted • Upton Sinclair—The Jungle 1906 • Sinclair intended to help workers but got food controls • Meat Inspection Act of 1906 • Meat shipped across state lines was inspected through the whole process • Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906 • Prevent adulteration and mislabeling

11. Roosevelt’s Foreign Policy • Helped America obtain the land for the Panama Canal and began building it • Debts in Latin America made TR get involved using “preventive intervention” or the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine • US would on behalf of Europe in Latin America, pay debts, take over customhouses, etc. to keep Europe away

12. The Rough Rider Thunders Out • Could have easily won another election but he opted not to run—kept his word • TR chose Taft as his successor a mild progressive and his secretary of war • The Democrats put up William Jennings Bryan again (3rd time) • Taft won 321 to 162 7.6 to 6.4 million popular votes • Eugene Debs a Socialist got almost a half million votes • TR’s legacy • Was seen as an enemy of capitalism but in fact he was in favor of most and helped the capitalists survive longer • Enlarged the powers of the President • Helped the progressive movement and the liberal reform movements of the 20th century • William Howard Taft • Very fat, popular, smart—graduated from Yale, lawyer, judge, couldn’t take over after TR, TR led by force Taft couldn’t do that

13. Taft the Trustbuster • Became famous as a trustbuster-in 4 years brought up 90 suits against the trusts • 1911-Supreme Court dissolved the Standard Oil Company and Taft decided to press an antitrust suit on U.S. Steel-made Roosevelt very angry

14. The Dollar Goes Abroad as a Diplomat • Dollar Diplomacy • Using American investments to boost American political interests abroad • Urged wall street to invest extra money in areas that the US had active interests politically • Far East, Panama Canal, etc. • Dollar replaced the Big Stick • Manchuria • Japan and Russia controlled most of the area and had monopolies on the RR that strangled the region • Taft tried to have American businessmen buy the RR and turn them over to China, it blew up in his face • Caribbean • Money into Haiti and Honduras in order to keep Europeans out • Eventually sent troops into Cuba, Honduras, Dominican Republic to establish order • In Nicaragua the Americans started the rebellion and sent in troops to sustain it, they stayed for 13 years

15. William Howard Taft

16. The Taft-Roosevelt Rupture • TR decided to run when Taft got rid of “my policies” • June of 1912-Roosevelt and Taft at the Chicago convention • 100 for Roosevelt vs. 250 for Taft • Roosevelts ended up refusing to vote and Taft won

17. Wilson Tackles the Tariff • Fought against the “triple wall of privilege”—banks, tariff, and trusts • Showed up himself to address congress after he called a special session in 1913 to fix the tariff • Underwood Tariff 1913 • Reduced import fees • Congress also used the 16th amendment to start an income tax • Revenue from income tax quickly outdistanced tariff duties

18. Wilson Tames the Trusts • Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914 • Empowered a presidential appointed commission to inspect businesses involved in interstate commerce • Supposed to crush monopolies by ending unfair business practices • Clayton Antitrust Act 1914 • Longer list of illegal activities included price discrimination and interlocking directories • Exempted labor unions and agricultural organizations from prosecution

19. Wilson Battles the Bankers • Biggest problem was that most of the currency was in large banks in the East and it couldn’t be redistributed to the areas that needed it quickly enough • Federal Reserve Act 1913 (Wilson in front of Congress) • Split the country into 12 districts each had its own central bank • Created a board to watch over the districts • Board could also issue paper money, could easily increase the amount of money in circulation

20. Foreign Policy • Wilson was a noninterventionist (isolationist) • Didn’t want to get involved in world affairs but eventually was drawn into WWI